Is this wear normal on the shaft?

(Evo 3 16g)




Sorry for the slightly out of focus pictures, it's the best I could do.

I can feel the grooves with my fingernail, but they don't catch or anything.

Apparently, according to the seller, this turbo had 2k miles on it... which I'm not sure if I believe.

Thanks!

Does look low mileage.. but also excessively worn.

is it so bad its not worth rebuilding? i really do not want to buy a turbine wheel....

It seems like you'll have to buy a new one. I had the same problem on mine, but I just bought a new turbine and compressor wheel. If the compressor wheel is fine, then it's worth buying a turbine wheel and rebuilding.

I would mic the grooved area and see how deeply it's grooved if I were rebuilding that turbo. If the grooves are deeper than .002", it's going to be an issue when you assemble the turbo with new parts....there will be much more shaft play at the end than a turbo with no grooves in the turbine shaft.

It may have only 2K on it, but the guy's engine was putting metal through the turbo for sure. That's the only thing that would cause grooving like that to the shaft with no heat scoring. If there was heat scoring, I'd say the turbo wasn't getting enough oil....this turbo was getting oil, it was just dirty oil.

A turbo shop can undercut the turbine to the next smaller size (.005", .010") - you'll also need undersized journal bearings. This can often save you some money over buying a new turbine.

Okay, thanks for all the info. I think I'm going to rebuild it and just run it how it is because I do not have the time or funds right now, I need this thing running. Hopefully it will last a little while, even with a little excessive shaft play.

Evo3's are so cheap, it's more worth it just to buy one new for the ease of mind. That alone would be worth the $100-150 price difference between rebuilding and new.

Unreal89 said:

Okay, thanks for all the info. I think I'm going to rebuild it and just run it how it is because I do not have the time or funds right now, I need this thing running. Hopefully it will last a little while, even with a little excessive shaft play.

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Polish the grooves out of the shaft the best you can by clamping the turbine shaft lightly into a slow-spinning drill press.

Start with 400 grit paper, work up to 1000, then finish with steel wool and your turbine shaft will be as smooth as a new one.

That's a really good idea, thanks.

BTW, is it normal for oil to leak out the turbine housing when the turbo is laying on its side?

If not, should a rebuild kit be enough to fix it?

how much is a new shaft??

There's a gap between the turbine shaft and the seal just like there's a gap between the piston rings and the piston in an engine. Oil will bleed out if the turbo is stood upright with the turbine wheel facing down.

If you can smooth out that shaft a little, a rebuild kit should solve your shaft play problems.

I found this a couple of weeks ago. It is a genuine MHI small 16g compressor wheel and a genuine MHI tdo5h turbine wheel. $70 shipped for both new. You will not find genuine ones for this cheap anywhere. Later
Genuine Mitsubishi TD05H turbine 16G compressor wheels:eBay Motors (item 170370534068 end time Sep-08-09 17:30:24 PDT)

jusmx141 said:

Polish the grooves out of the shaft the best you can by clamping the turbine shaft lightly into a slow-spinning drill press.

Start with 400 grit paper, work up to 1000, then finish with steel wool and your turbine shaft will be as smooth as a new one.

Click to expand...

Thats funny, i do the same thing sometimes and finish with paint rubbing compound.

donniekak said:

Thats funny, i do the same thing sometimes and finish with paint rubbing compound.

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Haha now that's getting a little high on the anal scale...probably smoother than a new shaft! Good work, though; I, like you, prefer to do something right the first time.

I don't recommend the polish route, or reusing the turbine at all. I spoke to a turbo rep at alamo turbochargers in calgary alberta, he said my turbine shaft was excessively worn near the journal bearings and it wasn't even as bad as yours. I had very mild scratches you could barely feel with your fingernail. They can be caused by metal filings in the oil or an unbalanced shaft rubbing against the journal bearings. He explained the thickness of the film of oil between the shaft and bearings is critical to operate properly.

Its weird to see pit marks in the shaft too, ..

I know you can by a new turbine wheel and shaft for about $200, and a rebuild kit for another $150. As long as the housings are undamaged, and the compressor wheel is undamaged, then thats the cheapest route, though you might want to get the rebuilt turbo re-balanced before use.

An alternative is to buy a turbo cartridge which includes the center housing, new turbine wheel and compressor wheel, balanced and ready to use for about $450. This is about 75% the cost of a new turbo but you can reuse the housings from your used turbo if they're in good shape.

F-it, buy a new turbo heh.